MILPITAS — Milpitas Mayor Rich Tran is planning to run for a Santa Clara County Supervisor seat in 2020, making his newly gained second term as mayor his last.

In a post on his mayoral Facebook page, Tran said he will run for the District 3 supervisor seat, which is currently held by Dave Cortese, and covers the whole of Milpitas, along with large swaths of San Jose, much of Sunnyvale and a vast expanse of unincorporated county land in the hills.

The announcement last week came just two days before Tran was sworn in for his second term at a Milpitas City Council meeting.

Tran said in an interview that while he loves being mayor, he never planned to hold the spot “forever,” especially since it does not pay him a living salary.

“I don’t make much money being a part-time mayor, and I drive a Toyota Prius,” said Tran, who also is a reservist in the Air National Guard.

“I get all my checks from the government, and the government pays a certain way,” he said.

Tran earns about $14,000 in salary, and including a monthly car allowance and benefits, is compensated to the tune of a bit over $20,000 each year by the city.

“The county is an opportunity to continue my public service, while making a decent living. I’d love to upgrade to a Toyota Camry,” Tran said.

Asked why he chose to announce his plans for another office outside the city just over a month after being re-elected, Tran said it aligns with his policy of being transparent with residents.

“I’m not the type to beat around the bush,” Tran said. “I take great pleasure in being straightforward with every person in Milpitas, and I’m not going to spend the next two years in any gray area.”

Tran said his first term as mayor showed residents that he is “laser focused” on the job, and he will remain that way through the end of his second term.

Over the next two years, he said his main priority will be to address the issue of odors that he said waft into the city from the nearby landfill and composting facility. He plans to “invest money into technology that will show that the odor is a public health risk,” which was one of his re-election campaign promises.

He also said he wants to increase funding of the city’s public works department to hire more workers to clear weeds and brush around Milpitas, making sure the city looks clean.

“Milpitas residents will continue to receive my full commitment leading up to 2020,” Tran said.

“I never planned to be the mayor forever, but I did plan to serve Milpitas forever,” he said. “And the opportunity with the county supervisors, representing District 3, is an opportunity to continue serving Milpitas and beyond.”

Joseph Geha is a multimedia journalist covering Fremont, Milpitas, Union City, and Newark for the Bay Area News Group. His prior work has been seen in multiple Bay Area outlets, including SF Weekly, as well as on KQED and KLIV radio. He is a graduate of California State University, East Bay (Hayward), a Fremont native and a lifelong Oakland Athletics fan.

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